How to Infect A Human

1. Find poison ivy on a hike.

2. Get it on your nice furry coat.

3. Offer yourself for pets to The Woman. Get brushed by Her. Wrestle and snuggle with her.

4. Then watch her pay out doctor's and pharmacist fees in order to get herself normal.

Initially, she was diagnosed with a fungal infection and treated with a lotion. But it appears that it can be spread to other body parts through scratching, and well, she scratched. The Woman has a definite allergic reaction to it. By the time she saw a specialist, it was infected, present on all limbs, and She was Definitely Uncomfortable.

Add to this, the Ninety + degrees with humidity, and she was more miserable than an ignored Lhasa Apso.

So this poor Alaskan Woman who hates heat and humidity, and had no clue that I would be so rude (however unintentionally!) to pass along such an uncomfortable ailment is now pulling through like a trooper, taking her antibiotics and ice baths while periodically scowling in my direction. She told me that she was perfectly happy having lived her life without ever having this affliction, and that she was unamused by this entire ordeal.

She reminds That Guy almost daily that there are no snakes, no poison ivy, and is cooler in Alaska.

However, the neat thing is that she is now home to keep me company during these Dog Days of Summer! So while I was the pathogen, I reap the benefits of all good parasites.


I Am Shiba. I Am My Own Walking Hot Zone.